Incident Summary:

04/06/2004: There was an assassination attempt on Murat Zyazikov, the President of the Russian Republic of Ingushetiya as he was traveling to work in his motorcade from Nazran to Magas. At around 9:45 am local time, a car, driven by a suicide bomber and packed with 220 pounds of dynamite, exploded after attempting to ram into the President's Mercedes. The President was slightly injured, along with five bodyguards and two bystanders. The Kavkaz-Tsentr agency received an email from Amir of the Islamic Brigade of Shahids Riyad us-Salikheen (Black Widows), which claimed that Zyazikov was attacked after a Shari'ah Riyad us-Salikheen military field court had sentenced him to death on February 27, 2004.

GTD ID:
200404060001

When:
2004-04-06

Country:
Russia

Region:
Eastern Europe

Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:

Ingushetia

City:
Between Nazran and Magas

Attack Information
Type of Attack (more) Assassination
Successful Attack? (more) No
Target Information (more)
Target Type: Government (General)
Name of Entity President of the Republic of Ingushetiya
Specific Description Murat Zyazikov
Nationality of Target Russia
Additional Information
Hostages No
Ransom No
Property Damage Yes
Extent of Property Damage Unknown
Value of Property Damage Unknown
Weapon Information
Type Sub-type
Explosives Vehicle
Weapon Details
Approximately 220 pounds of dynamite was used in this attack.
Additional Information
Suicide Attack?Yes
Part of Multiple Incident?No
Criterion 1 (more) Yes
Criterion 2 (more) Yes
Criterion 3 (more) Yes
Doubt Terrorism Proper (more) No
Perpetrator Group Information
Group Name Group Sub-name Claimed Responsibility
Riyadus-Salikhin Reconnaissance and Sabotage Battalion of Chechen Martyrs Black Widows, Commander Shamil Basayev Yes (Confirmed: Unknown; Mode: E-mail)
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators 1
Number of Captured Perpetrators 0
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties 1 Fatalities / 8 Injured
Total Number of Fatalities 1
Number of U.S. Fatalities 0
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities 1
Total Number of Injured 8
Number of U.S. Injured 0
Number of Perpetrators Injured 0
Sources
Yuri Bagrov, "Russian blast hits politician's motorcade: Republics leader escapes assassination. Chechen rebeles blamed for suicide bombing in poor region under strain with influx of refugees," The Gazette, April 7, 2004.
"Russian regional leader harmed in assassination attempt near Chechnya," Agence France Presse, April 6, 2004.
"Chechen Rebels Claim Responsibility For Attempt on Inguish Leader's Life," BBC Monitoring International Reports, April 12, 2004.